Christian Ponder has sore ribs, faces Steelers in London

The Minnesota Vikings might be thinking about a quarterback change after their 0-3 start following a 2012 trip to the playoffs. But if starter Christian Ponder is healthy enough to play through a rib injury on Sunday in London, there's no reason they should think about benching him.

The team signed former Patriots backup and Chiefs starter Matt Cassel, and with Ponder and the Vikings off to a slow start, several of their fans are itching for coach Leslie Frazer to make the switch.

So let's get this straight: It's a good idea to bench someone who's had a lot trouble protecting the ball in order to promote someone who was demoted and dismissed from his last team because he had trouble protecting the ball? That’s an uninspiring lateral move, not any kind of spark.

The Vikings, on the other hand, have seen Ponder regress to a sub-rookie 65.9 passer rating and his inefficiency is marked by his seven total turnovers to four total TDs in three games. But does anyone remember what we just saw from Cassel in Kansas City?

In 2012, he went 1-7 as a starter for the Chiefs. His rating (66.7) was just blips above where Ponder is, and he had a whopping 19 turnovers to just seven TDs. He's also a wash with Ponder in yards per attempt, well below 7.0.

Consider what type of team the Chiefs were trying to be with Cassel. They were looking for a ball-control, conservative offense featuring a lot of Jamaal Charles in the running game to help put a talented defense in position to make plays.

The Chiefs became just that in '13 without Cassel, only a lot more successful already. Just by turning to a quarterback in Alex Smith who protects the ball and makes good decisions, they're 3-0 with the same formula. They have a new coaching staff, but they're not too much different personnel- and identity-wise from the 2-14 club of a season ago.

Here's the problem with the Vikings: The fact that they're not the sound, playoff-worthy team around the quarterback is why the quarterback is being exposed so badly. Adrian Peterson is still running quite well, but he's yet to be the team-carrying force of '12, and he's had some turnover woes, too.

Consider they've dropped from the dominant No. 2 rushing team in the NFL to so-so No. 13 so far in '13. The pretty good run defense? Down from No. 11 to No. 21. The bad pass defense? Down further, from No. 24 to 28.

The point is, the Vikings could get away somewhat with "hiding" Ponder because they were so disciplined, so physical and effective in so many supporting areas. He's also not getting the same level of play of what looked liked an elite offensive line in 2012. They have needed him to come through more, and despite an improved receiving corps, that hasn't happened.

Cassel not only would carry his recent issues into the lineup, but he would need to deal with all the non-quarterback issues that are sinking the Vikings at the moment.

Swapping Ponder for Cassel, at best, would steer them just a little slower into the iceberg.